Ancient and Modern

Yesterday evening, while tidying up, I came across my old Nikon F2 and its zoom lens, which date back to about 1974. I decided to compare it with my modern Nikon DF camera and its zoom lens, which have comparable characteristics and performance. Here is a picture of the two cameras side-by-side, taken with my iPhone! The F2 and its lens weigh just over 4kgs, the zoom range is from 50mm to 300mm and the motor wind will permit five frames per second. The DF and its lens weigh less than 1.7kg, the zoom range is from 28mm (slightly shorter) to 300mm and the frame rate is higher, so this is a very good equivalent of the old F2 camera and lens. Both camera and lens combination cost a similar figure in sterling, although one is roughly forty years older than the other and in the mid-seventies the relative cost was about ten times as much. Photography has become much cheaper and easier, but the picture quality has not changed much, although convenience has.